Unleash The Fury... The girls speak Out

Female British Rocker's 'Rock Goddess', may have been quiet for some years now but there about to unleash their fury upon the rock and metal scene with their long awaiting album, which is to be recorded in April/ May time of 2018. These girls know how to rock and with 2 successful albums back in the early 80's with their self titled album released 83 which featured the classic tune 'My Angel', this album saw the band opening up for 'Fastway', which featured former Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clark.

They soon recorded 'Hell hath no Fury' with bassist Dee O'Mally, after Tracey left the band, but later on returned when they reformed back in 2013. The band have recorded one E.P. 'It's more than Rock & Roll', which features 3 new songs and was released in 2017. I managed to catch up once again with the ladies in Hull when they supported Saxon on their recent tour, this is the 1st interview with the band, so sit back and read on.... Here is what the ladies had ts ay about the history of the band and what the future holds.

Well it's a pleasure finally interviewing you ladies, and great to see you again. As this is the 1st interview we have done, I'm going to asking you what recognitions do you have playing at Hull City Hall back in 83 with 'Fastway'?

Judy "Well I must start by saying what a wonderful building this is, there's a lot of history to this building. I think we would of looked at this building in the same way back in 83. I can't recall a lot about that show it was a long time ago but we did have fun on that tour."

So who actually formed the band back in the beginning?

Judy "It was all 3 of us that formed the band, it was our father who back then managed us and he taught us to play together as a band. I played a bit f keyboards before the guitar, but we did actually play our 1st notes together. Me and Tracey were about 13 and Julie was 9 and we have a musically family as our dad was a musician too and we were always around music. We didn't actually play any gig for a year after we formed as we had to learn to play our instruments. 

Tracey "Judy and me went to the same school together and were in the same class at secondary school so we met at the age of 11 and I went around to their house and I met Julie who was 7 then and I have memories acting out musicals and singing and dancing so we were pretty much learnt at an early age. We have a lot of memories, at school and we are family and we started together, we have strong ties."

Can you remember what you're 1st instruments were?

Tracey "Yes mine was a Burns Bass, which was really heavy. (Julie) I had a Tama kit and it was a jets kit and it use to belong to 'The Stranglers', as my dad use to know them. (Judy) Our father had a music shop and rehearsals so we were rather spoilt in that way. We always had good copies of guitars that had just come into the shop and he through he would bring one home for us to try in the shop and I tried it and I loved it and he gave me it. It was a Les Paul copy."

Have you tried to get an original one now with them about to go bust?

Judy "I no I heard about that, it is so sad and I use Ibanez now and I love them. I had a S.G and more but I sold them."

Julie which drummers have influenced you to play the drums?

"To be honest no one really, I think because I was so young that I took all my instructions from my dad and I was about 9. I use to listen too bands like AC/DC, Queen, I use to love Roger Taylor but I have never met him."

Tracey what about you, who influenced you?

"I think it would have to be Steve Harris from Iron Maiden really, he was a massive favourite of mine who can play very fast with his fingers and I play with my fingers and a plectrum too and been a 3 piece it is better to play with the fingers as it more rhythmic with the drums. When I was in Girlschool I played with a plectrum, which was odd and I don't know why I did that. I guess it may of been the fact they were a 4 piece, whereas we are a 3 piece. I'm also a massive fan of Flea from RHCP's.

(Judy) "I am a very big Eddie Van Halen fan, and Angus Young too. No one bends a note and works it like Angus does. I have a lot of guitarist who have influenced me, David Meniktti from Y&T is a big influence on me."

So who came up with the band's name 'Rock Goddess'?

Judy "It was my father who came up with the band name, we were rather punky back then and we came up with names like 'Germ' and then we started to get into metal so we had to think of a more suitable metal name."

So how many demos did the band record before you signed to A&M Records?

Judy "We did a few demos and we demo tapes for a few labels too. We did one for CBS Records, it was pretty much all the major labels we sent our demo too."

You recorded 3 label in the early days if I am right in saying.

Tracey "Yes we did, the 3rd one never got released."

What can you recall from the recording and sales or tours from the debut album?

Judy "Our producer for the debut album 'Vic Maile' was a wonderful man but sadly he passed away which was really sad. We did that in 'Jackson's Studios' and we had a great experience and we knew about record because we did demo tapes and we were really excited about doing an album. 

Tracey "We did the album in like 2 wks, we didn't gig for a few years and we had a lot of material which so we could pick the best material for the album. I remember it been a great album. (Judy) I remember the cover with my hair and it got a lot worse later on (laughing) and I use to look at some of my helmet hairs and you could crack it with a hammer, the big hair."

What was you're 1st single from that album, was it 'My Angel'?

Judy "It was 'My Angel', then we did 'Heavy Metal rock n Roll' was the next single if I am right in saying. The album sold pretty good actually and it did get in the charts and we played The Marquee club. (Tracey) When we played the club we had the crowd walking into our backstage area and we did a little tour and that Marquee gig was a show that we did from a cancellation gig. It was a rammed gig and the crowd loved us."

Tracey you left the band after the debut album, what happened there?

"Well it was such a long time ago and I think a lot of it was to do with a lot of misunderstanding really. I think the record company wanted to to clean up my image as it was a little too soft even though I love metal music and I think that got under my skin a bit I think. I went off to form 'She' for a year but we never got to record an album. Just before Vic got ill we had a meeting with him at the Marquee and we were going to go into 'Jackson's' and do a demo but he got ill and passed away. It fizzled out."

The 2nd album was 'Hell Have No Fury' with new bassist Dee O'Malley on it, so how do you compare that album to the 1st album?

Julie "The 1st album was a lot rawer, and we had 2 completely producers who were great guys, Chris Tsangarides did the 2nd album , who sadly passed away recently. For the 2nd album we were touring a lot and Judy had tow rite pretty quickly which was a difference experience for her. We had different studios and we partied a lot (laughing)."

Did that album sell better than the debut?

Judy "I think it did sell better but I can't remember and we did a lot of touring, we went out with Iron Maiden, Y&T . (Ed: Didn't you play Reading?) Yes we did in 82 and we did the Tommy Vance 'Friday Rock Show' sessions too, We also did the 'Riverside' program and we were only babies then and if you see the interview back then we were so young, we did 2 songs 'Back to You' and 'Heartache'.

When did the band break up and what did you all do, besides Tracey joining Girlschool?

Judy "Well Julie had a baby, Tracey and our dad have the best memories of what happened. (Tracey) I was always really interested in the band even when I left them, and I found out about stuff and I would ask John their dad about stuff and it's good to know these things."

How did you all get back together in recent years, what started the whole ball rolling again?

Tracey "Well we wanted to reform and we talked about it anyway. Julies babies were getting older and Judy spoke to her father about getting the band back together. I was already on board for reforming the band once again, and John sorted the rest, we were back together. We got back together in 2013 and I still live in Spain and it was strange standing in a rehearsal room after all that time been apart and it was rather emotional at our 1st rehearsal. 

Considering we hadn't played for years we did really well, and we have always have a chemistry between us and we had to work and rehearse to get back the the level we wanted to be. We started gigging in 2015 and we did a couple of shows in Spain to start off with. It's a totally different world now to what it was back in the day, you could do secret gigs and now it's all linked out on the internet. The 1st 2 shows Judy was ill and had no voice but she got through them because she had too."

Was there a lot of demand in Europe to get you back together?

Tracey "Well I kept a 'Myspace' page going and I had one also for Rock Goddess and I was always posting stuff on my page and everybody was liking it and the interest started from there really. The overwhelming support has been fantastic!! It is a big metal family for us, we love it."

You recorded your E.P last year 'It's more than Rock & Roll' is it selling well for you?

Judy "Yes it's doing really well, and the video has been getting a great response. People want an album so we will record it this autumn and because the wait had been a lengthy period we wanted to give the fans a taster of what we have to come, so the E.P. was a great start. We will start to record in April/ May of this year and I think it will be done in London but were not sure yet. We can't tell you who we have in midn as a producer, it's tops secret Jason haha!!"

Do you have any label interests yet?

Judy "Well we have been talking but things have fallen through and this is also why it has taken so long and weather we have label interest or not we are going to record the album anyway. We are doing a new song on this Saxon tour, it is called 'Why do we never Learn'. (Ed: How does this new song compare to the songs on the E.P.?) It is a lot heavier and I am a massive 'Lamb of God' fan, but it's not as heavy as their music, but I love their music. (Tracey) There are a couple of songs that will be a little blue feeling to them, it's going to be an album that has a different style of Metal and some Blues. 

We have a few new songs wrote for the album, we have almost 10 ready and we are going to do a couple more."

Have excited are you to meet your former guitar Kat Burbella tonight as it's been years since you met her last?

Tracey "I am looking forward to see in her again, we have kept in touch and I haven't seen her in 10yrs. Judy and Julie hasn't seen her since the 80's so we are all looking forward to meeting her again with been a local girl to Hull."

How was the gig last night for you with Saxon, and Diamond Head?

Judy "It was fantastic, both Cardiff and Cambridge were awesome shows, we are having a blast with those guys, we're loving it."

What do you remember of our last meet in Germany at 'Headbangers Open Air' last year?

Tracey "I think we were a bit late for it if I remember, it is a great festival, there is something special about it. It is a intermit festival were the stage is small, you can meet the fans with it been such a small festival. We have done that festival before and we have always done massive meet and greets with the fans. We did the odd one off shows here and there which was pretty mad to fly for just a small tour or festival, but that will change as we will be doing more tours after the album release."

Has there ever been a festival with just all female rock bands, like Lita Ford, Doro, Girlschool and yourselves?

Tracey "Well there was one in Austria many years ago with Girlschool when I was in the band, and it was rather different, they should do another one like that."

Have you ever been approached for Bloodstock?

Judy "Not yet, but you would have to ask our agent they will know, he manages The Quire Boys, Dan Reed and many more."

How long will you be playing the set for tonight?

Julie "It will be for 30 minutes, it's just 30 minutes as there are 3 more bands on the bill tonight so we do our songs then we get off the stage."

Do you have anything to say before we finish the interview? It's been a pleasure meeting and hanging out with you gorgeous ladies, best of luck with the new album and future of the band.

Judy "Yes thank you for the interview, (Tracey) Yes thanx for the interview, was great to meet you again Jason. (Julie) Thank you for the support and to our fans as well...keep on rocking!!

Thank's to Rock Goddess for the interview and manager Richard.